Thoughts From A "Cop Mom"

I, along with everyone else in this country, have seen and heard a lot of terrible things in the past week.  I have watched some awful videos, watched the news, and seen some things on social media that disturb me greatly.  

I have also seen some good things.  I have seen peaceful protests, cops hugging, praying with, and having conversations with protesters. 

I have mostly stayed out of conversations about this.  Why?  Simply because I'm a "Cop Mom".  I have a Son who is a respected, and respectful officer of the law. He has never had a complaint against him. He has risen through the ranks to Lieutenant, and has a spotless record. He respects human beings of any color, religion, or nationality.  He does his job, and for that I'm very proud.  He does his job well, taking his responsibility to his community very seriously. Not all cops are like that.  We all know that.  We've all seen that.  They tarnish the badge for all cops unfortunately.  They can single handedly bring down, in the eyes of a nation, all of the good cops with one action.

I raised my boys to not see color of skin. I raised them to look at a person's actions, and their heart, to see what kind of person they were. 

I remember my Dad telling me (this was in the 60s) that there were good black people and bad black people just like there were good white people and bad white people.  My parents never disrespected another person just because of the color of their skin.  Again, remember that this was in the 60s.  I'm grateful for that upbringing, and tried to carry that through with my boys.  I think I succeeded!

So I have stayed out of conversations, and social media posts, about the ongoing protests in our nation.  But last night our Pastor had a live Zoom conversation with another Pastor.  And Pastor Wade said he felt it was time to speak, because saying nothing was often construed as saying something. He felt his silence was sending the wrong message.   And it hit me hard.  I felt that I needed to speak also. So here it is....

I have never agreed with racism in any form. Every person on this earth is equal in God's eyes.  We are equally loved by Him, and we are equally dealt with when we do wrong.  I hate violence.  I am a peace loving woman.  I hate disharmony. I hate it in a family, and I hate it in a nation. We live in one of the greatest places in the world.  We have everything at our fingertips if we work hard, respect others, and do what's right.  

That being said, not everyone has the same circumstances, or the same chances.  I can't imagine the hopelessness some people have, living in poverty, dealing with drug abuse or violence on a daily basis.  Can they get out?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  Maybe there's a special teacher, religious leader, or social worker that can "save" some of these kids.  But if not, maybe they grow up to be criminals that make this world a bit scary.   But also, maybe a privileged kid who had everything grows up to be a criminal.   So again, race or background doesn't necessarily mean anything.  Hence, why do we judge?   I don't know what else to say about that, but my point is, I feel that maybe not everyone has equal chances.  And I think that's where the divide starts. But regardless, again, why do we judge?

But no matter what, a person should never be judged by skin color, or economic status.  That is my stand. I don't want to be silent about this. 

It's wrong to judge.  It's wrong to abuse power.  It's wrong to kill someone because you are a racially motivated person. 

But it's also wrong to loot stores and destroy your own community because you are angry. It's wrong to kill a cop who's doing his job and trying to bring peace back to his community just because you are angry at law enforcement as a whole over the actions of a few. It's all just so sad and SO WRONG!  

I will not lie when I say I back the Blue.  I've been raised in a law enforcement family.  That is my FAMILY.  But I  also will say I hate racism.  Nowhere in my Christian upbringing did I ever see in the Bible, or hear preached, where we were to treat people differently based on skin color.

So that's it.  My view of the situation.   I'm so glad I watched Pastor Wade last night.  I felt being silent was staying out of it.  But I don't want anyone to think that my silence condones any of the actions of the people who are in the wrong.  Fair is fair.  Racism is wrong. Most cops are good and fair.  Bad cops exist. Some people are bad.  Most people are good.

I will pray for all.  I will pray for our country.  I hope you will, too.